Ironing machine



March 29, 1938.

G. W. WARDWELL; JR

IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 11, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ill/1111171711111 IIIIIIIIIII Inventor: George :W. Wardwel l Jr.

b His Attorneg.

March 29, 1938- G. w. WARDWELL, JR

IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 11 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V Inventor": George W. Wardwell, Jr, by My His Attorheg.

Patented Mar. 29, 1938 PATENT OFFICE IRONING MACHINE George W. Wardwell, 'Jr., Nichols, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York August 11, 1937, Serial No. 158,517

6 Claims. (01. 38-59) The present invention relates to ironing machines of the type having a heated shoe which cooperates with a roll.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement in ironing machines of this type and for consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the. accompanying description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ironing machine embodying my invention; Figure 2 is an end elevation of the' ironing machine, partly broken away; Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the mechanism for driving the roll and for moving the roll toward and away from the shoe.

Referring chine comprises aframe or housing l which carries a roll 2, a shoe 3, and the driving mechanism for rotating the roll and for moving the roll toward and away from the shoe. The housing is provided with a flange 4 for supporting the ironing machine on the top 5 of a suitable table.

The housing has a vertical hollow portion 6 which serves as the frame or outer casing for the electric motor used to drive the ironing machine. The stationary member of the electric motor is pressed into the hollow portion 6 and the rotary member 8 of the electric motor issupported on a shaft 9 the upper end of which is journaled in bearing l0 carried in a web l2- and the lower end of which is journaled in a v bearing |3 carried in a bearing housing, |4

threaded into the lower end of the hollow por tion 6. The bearing housing l4 carries a thrust ball l5 which supports the shaft 9. The web l2, which is integral with the housing, forms a closure for the upper end of the electric motor.

The motor shaft 9 projects above the bearing l0 and on its projecting end is cut a worm L5 which meshes with a worm gear H. The worm gear is rotatably supported on a shaft I8 which rotates in a bearing l9 in a tube I9. The

tube I9 is pressed into' or otherwise fixed in a boss 20 in the side wall of the housing Integral with the worm gear I1 is a pinion 2| which meshes with an idler gear 22 rotatably carried on a stub shaft" 23 carried by the side wall of the housing. The idler gear 22 meshes" with a gear 24 fixed to a shaft 25 which is journaled in the side wall of the ironer'housing. The shaft 25 is used to drive the roll in a manner which will be hereinafter described. A thrust plate 25 to the drawings, the itching ma- 7 is arranged between the housing and the adjacent faces of gears 2|, 22 and 24.

The construction of the roll 2 isshown in-detail in Fig. 4. It comprises a sheet metal cylinder 21 having a pad 28 on its outer surface. yThe pad 28 is held in placeby a pad cover- 29, the ends of which are secured to the inner periphery of the cylinder 21 by snap rings 39, only-one of which is shown. At the center of the roll are ing washer 31 mounted on {projection 38 on the eccentric. The eccentric is fixed to the shaft l8 so that the bearing between the eccentric and the outside of the tube |9 also serves to support the left end of the shaft 18. As the shaft l8 1 is turned it is obvious that the roll will be moved laterally with respect to the tube Hi. This lateral movement of the roll with respect to the tube |9is used to move the roll toward and away from the shoe and is also used to complete the driving connection to the roll'by moving an internal gear '39 which is carried by the roll into and out of mesh with a pinion 40 fixed to a shaft 4|. The left end of the shaft 4| fits in a slot 42 in a disk 43 fixed to the tube IS. The right end of the shaft 4| is connected to the shaft 25 by a flexible coupling 44 which has sumcient flexibility to permit angular. movement of the shaft 4|. The left end of the shaft 4| is normal-1 1y biased by gravity and by the resilience of the coupling 44 toward the lower end of the slot 42. When the left end of the shaft is at the lower end of. the slot 42, the pinion 40 occupies a position such that it is in mesh with the gear 39 when the roll is pressed against the shoe and is out of mesh with the gear 39 when the roll is moved away from the shoe. Thus .when the roll is pressed against the shoe it is rotated and feeds with the gear. A collar 45 on the pinion 40 engages a collar 46 on the gear 39 and limits the movement of the pinion toward the gear.

.As the gear ,39 is moved into mesh with the pinion 40, there is a tendency for the teeth to jam. This tendency is increased by the fact that the gear 39 is an internal gear, with its teeth extending radially inward, and the pinion 48 is an external gear, with its teeth extending radially- .moved upward in the slot 42, moving the teeth on the pinion 40 away from the teeth on the gear 39. During this movement, the rotation of the pinion 40 causes its teeth to be moved to a position in which the teeth will not jam as they mesh, after which the pinion is moved into engagement with the gear by the biasing force due to gravity and the flexible coupling 44.

The eccentric 36 is provided with a pocket 41 which contains grease for lubricating the bearing surface between the eccentric and the tube l9, the bearing surfaces between the eccentric and the sleeve 35, and the bearing surfaces between the sleeve 35 and the sleeve 34. The grease is fed to the bearing surfaces through holes 48 in the sleeve 35 and in the eccentric.

As described above, the pinion 40 is rotated continuously by the worm gear I! and the roll will normally be rotated when it is against the shoe to feed the material being ironed under the shoe. When the machine is used for pressing, it is desirable that the roll remain stationary when pressed against the shoe, This is effected by a stop 49 carried on a rod 50 pivoted in the side wall of the ironer housing I.

the front of the ironer housing in a position readily accessible to the operator. In Fig. 4, the

the stop 49 is at or below the lower end of the slot 42 and therefore does not prevent the meshing of the gears 39 and 40. When the lever 52 is moved downward, stop 49 engages the shaft 4| and moves it to the upper end of the slot 42, in

which position the pinion 40 is clear of the gear 39 and the roll remains stationary. In this position, the stop 49 serves as a bearing for the shaft 4|. Obviously it may serve as a bearing for the shaft 4| when in the position shown in Fig. 4. The pinion is returned by the force due to gravity and the coupling 44 to the lower end of the slot 42 when the lever 52 is returned to the position shown in Fig. 4. 4

The roll is moved toward and away from the shoe by an arrangement for coupling the shaft l8 to the worm gear so that the shaft is rotated in steps of 180 degrees. The particular arrangement shown comprises an arm 53 (Fig. 3) pinned to the shaft l8 which is provided with radial slots in which are slidably carried clutch The keys 54 are urged outwardly by.

'normal position by the spring H.

The rod isv pivoted by a hand lever 52 which projects from flange on the worm gear to complete a driving connection from the worm gear to the shaft l8. An odd number of notches are provided so that when one of the keys 54 fits into one of the notches 58 the other key is held in its inner position by one of the teeth 59 between the notches. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2 the upper key is held in its inner position by a lever 60 which is pivoted at 6| on the flange 62 of a bracket 63 fixed to the housing-and which is pulled by a spring 64 against the key. A stop 65 limits the movement of the'lever 68 by the which engages the arm 53 and prevents movement of the arm in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2. The lower key 54 is held in its inner position by engagement with a trip lever 61 which is carried on the upper end of rock shaft 68 journaled on the ironer housing. The linkage for operating the trip lever is shown in Fig. 4. It comprises a lever 69 pivoted at III on ,the under side of the table and urged by a spring 1| against a stop 12. The. lever 69 is provided with a knee pad '13 so that the lever can be operated by a sidewise motion of the operators knee. The lever 69 is connected by means of a link 14 to a crank 15 fixed to the rock shaft It is thus apparent that when the knee pad 13 is moved to the right (Fig. 4) the shaft 68 will be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction thereby moving the trip lever 61 away from the lower key 54 and permitting the spring 55 to force it outward into engagement with one of the notches 58, thus completing a driving connection from the worm gear H to the shaft l8. This key will now be termed the driving key. As soon as this driving connection is completed the lever 69- rnay be released and it will be returned to its When the driving key is moved into one of the notches 58, the other key is held in its inner position by one of the teeth 59. This is due to the fact that the number of notches is odd. The worm gear rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2. After the first few degrees of rotation of the shaft Hi, the upper key is clear of the lever 69, and the lever is held against the stop 65 by the spring 64. As rotation of the shaft l8 nears 180 degrees, the arm 53 strikes the lower edge of the flange 66 on the lever 60 and moves the lever 66 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2. When the shaft l8 has rotated throughv spring. The lever 60 is provided with a flange 66 180 degrees the driving key is moved out of the notch 58 by engagement with the flange 62 on the bracket 63, thus breaking the driving connection to the shaft l8. At this .time, the arm 53 is clear of the lower edge of the flange 66, and the lever 68 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 2 in which the flange 66 prevents counterclockwise movement of the shaft l8. The tendency to counterclockwise movement of the shaft l6 may be due to the breaking of the driving connection to the shaft before the eccentric reaches dead center as the roll is pressed against the shoe, or to the tendency of the roll to turn due to the eccentric pivoting thereof on the tube l9. From one aspect, the flange 62 is a cam which positively moves the driving key out of the slot 5|. After the key is moved out of the slot, it is moved to the inner position bythelever 66. The spring 64 is not strong enough to move the driving key out of the notch 58 but is strong enough to move it inward against the force of the spring after it has been moved out of the notch 58 by the flange 62. The purpose of the lever 56 is to prevent the key remaining in a position so close to the slots-58 that it continually clicks against the teeth 59. The lever 66 therefore in the nature of a follow up device to increase the spacing of the driving key from the notches 58. At this time, if the. lever 59 has been released, the lever 60 will occupy a' position in which it. will hold the other key in its inner position. It is thus apparent that for each actuation of the lever 69 the shaft l8 and the eccentric 36 connected thereto will be turned through 180 degrees. If the lever 69 is continuously held to the right, the shaft l8 will be rotated continuously, the driving connection to the shaft being completed successively by each of the keys.

The trip lever 61 has an upturned end 16 which serves as a stop to limit the movement of the arm 53 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4. This tendency to clockwise movement of the arm may come from overtravel of the shaft l8 due to inertia, from friction between the arm and the worm gear H, or from the pressure exerted 'on the roll by the shoe if the eccentric is moved slightly past dead center when the roll is pressed against the shoe. The stop 16 is a precautionary device which is normally not brought into use.

It'is desirable that the movement of the roll toward and away from the shoe be effected without rotating the'roll. This is accomplished byproviding the intermediatesleeve 35 between the eccentric and the sleeve 34 and by providing a ,tongue W on the sleeve 35 which fits in a radial slot 18 in a disk 43. The radial slot 18 is located so that as the eccentric is rotated the roll is moved directly toward and away from the shoe without any substantial turning movement. As the roll moves toward the shoe, the tongue Ti slides in the slot 18. The movement of the sleeve 35 and the roll carried thereby can best be described as a pivotal movement about the tongue ll. During the first part of the movement the sleeve 35 is pivoted about tongue 11 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, until the eccentric hassturned degrees from the position shown. During the next 90 degrees of turning of the eccentric, the sleeve 35 is pivoted in a clockwise direction aboutthe tongue TI. The roll has the same movement as the sleeve 35 until it contacts the shoe at which time such movement is prevented by the friction between the roll and the shoe and by the completion of the driving connection to the roll which starts the rotation of the roll. While moving toward the shoe, the roll is swung upwardly about tongue TI during the first quarter of the movement of the eccentric and then swung downwardly about tongue ll during the second quarter of the movement of the eccentric into engagement with the shoe.

While moving away from the shoe, the roll is first swung downwardly about the tongue 11 during the first quarter of the movement of ;the eccentric and then upwardly about the tongue 11 during the second quarter of the movement of the eccentric. During the movement of the roll toward the shoe, the roll appears to be first lifted and then moved downward into engagement with the shoe. During the movement of the roll away from the shoe, the roll appears to be first lowered and then raised. If the direc- 1 then lowered. Itis obvious that by changing the shape of the slot 18 the movement of the roll may be varied.

The shoe 3 comprises an arcuate metal plate 19 which is heated by suitable electric heating units (not shown). The upper surface of the plate 19 is covered by a cover 80. The shoe is supported in a suitable manner, for example that shown in application Serial No. 116,724, filed Dec.

, pressure exerted on the knee pad 13, moving the trip lever 61 away from the adjacent key 54. The spring 55 moves the key 54 outward into one of the notches 58 in the continuously rotating worm gear il thus completing a driving connection from the worm wheel i! to the shaft i8. This key will now be termed the driving key. The pressure on the knee pad l3 may now be released, and the trip lever 67 will be returned to its normal position by the spring H. The shaft i8 rotates through degrees at which time the driving key is pushed inward to disengage the driving connection by engagement with the flange 52 on the bracket 63. Since the lever 69 has now been returned by the spring II to the position shown in Fig. 4, the other key 54 is held in its inner position by the lever 61. Rotation of the shaft iii-through an angle of 180 degrees from the position shown in Fig. 4 will turn the eccentric 36 through 180 degrees, thus pressing the roll against the shoe and completing a driving connection to the rollby moving the gear 39 into mesh with the pinion. 46. When the ironing operation is completed the lever 69 is again pushed to the right and the shaft (8 is rotated through 180 degrees in the manner described above. At the end of this movement the roll is away fromthe shoe and the parts occupy the position shown in Fig. 4.

If the ironer is to be used for pressing, the lever 52 is moved downward from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig, 2, lifting the shaft 4| to a position in which the pinion 40 is out of mesh with the gear 39, breaking the driving. con-' nection to the roll.

This application is an improvement upon applications S. N. 116,724, filed December 19, 1936, and S. N. 64,480, filed February 18, 1936, in which the construction for driving and supporting the roll and for effecting engagement and separation of the pressing members is being claimed broadly.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an ironing machine, a shoe, a roll, a driving pinion, means for shifting the roll against and away from the shoe, an internal gear carried by the roll and movable therewith into and out of mesh with said pinion, and means for selectively moving said pinion to a position in which it will not engage said gear whereby the roll remains stationary when against said shoe.

2. In an ironing machine, a shoe, a roll,means for shifting the roll against and away from the shoe, an internal gear carried by the roll and movable therewith, a power shaft, a second shaft connected thereto by a flexible coupling, a pinion on second shaft, said second shaft being biased to a position in which the pinion is in mesh with the internal gear when the roll is against the shoe, and means for shifting the second shaft to a position in which said pinion is out of mesh with the internal gear when the roll is against the shoe.

3. In an ironing machine, a shoe, a roll, means for shifting the roll against and away from the shoe, an internal gear carried by the roll and movable therewith, a power shaft, a second shaft connected thereto by a flexible coupling, a pinion on second shaft, said second shaft being biased to a position in which the pinion is in mesh with the internal gear when the roll is against the shoe, and means including a stop engaging said second shaft for moving the shaft to a position in which the pinion is out of mesh with the internal gear when the roll is against the shoe.

4. In an ironing machine, a shoe, a roll, means for shifting the roll against and away from the shoe, an internal gear carried by the roll and movable therewith, a power shaft, a second shaft connected thereto by a fiexible'coupling, a pinion on second shaft, said second shaft being biased to a position in which the pinion is in mesh with the internal gear when the roll is against the shoe, means for moving said second shaft angularly with respect to the power shaft to a position in which the pinion is out of mesh with the internal gear when the roll is against the shoe,

and a guide for guiding the movement of the sec-' 0nd shaft.

5. In an ironing machine having cooperating pressing members including a roll, a power shaft, a second shaft substantially parallel to the roll axis and connected to the power shaft by a flexible coupling, a pinion on the second shaft, a gear carried by the roll meshing with said pinion, and means for shifting said second shaft to a position in which the pinion is out of mesh with said gear for breaking the'driving connection to the roll.

6. In an ironing machine having cooperating pressing members including a roll, an internal gear carried by the roll, a power shaft, a second shaft substantially parallel to the roll axis and connected to the power shaft by a flexible coupling, a pinion on the second shaft extending GEORGE W. WARDWELL, JR. 

